It’s a Wonderful Memory! / Greg Asimakoupoulos

Published 7:30 am Monday, July 13, 2026

With this article I begin my 22nd year as “faith and values” columnist for The Reporter. It’s truly amazing how time has flown. My very first column was about Hollywood legend James Dean and my interview with his childhood chum.

This article chronicles my meeting a lesser-known Hollywood star not long after we moved to the Island in the summer of 2005. Karolyn Grimes, best known for her portrayal of Zuzu, George Bailey’s youngest daughter in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” had just turned 65 when our paths crossed. I learned that she and her husband lived in Fall City.

As the new pastor of the Covenant church in our community, I invited Karolyn to share her faith journey with our congregation. She graciously agreed. In the course of that interview, I realized her life (unlike the title of her movie) has not been all that wonderful.

Karolyn indicated that both her parents died before she reached her 16th birthday. As such, she was forced to leave a career she loved. She revealed the pain with which she’d lived following two divorces, a husband’s terminal cancer and the suicide of a teenage son.

Then Karolyn went on to tell me that Frank Capra’s timeless film, in which she had appeared as a 6-year-old, was the means by which she unexpectedly found joy decades later.

When the Target Corporation reunited the child actors from “It’s a Wonderful Life” and took them on a nationwide tour in 1993, Karolyn discovered the ongoing influence of the movie. She began making public appearances across the country interacting with fans of the film. In the process, she heard countless stories of how the message of the movie continues to inspire hope. Her relationship to the film became a source of pride and gave her renewed purpose. She chose to become a self-appointed ambassador for the Capra classic.

My interview with Karolyn long ago resulted in an ongoing friendship. And that friendship became the impetus for a publisher approaching me to write a book about “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

In the course of getting to know Karolyn and her husband Chris, I learned that this favorite Christmas movie was actually filmed during a Southern California heatwave in 1946. Temperatures were so intense that filming had to be suspended for the safety of the cast and crew.

For those involved in the filming of “It’s a Wonderful Life” 80 years ago this month, Christmas was celebrated significantly early. It had to be. Making a holiday movie several months before Christmas demanded it.

And that got me thinking. I began to question… Must the traditions we ordinarily associate with Christmas need only be practiced in December? Is there a rule that prohibits acting Christmassy in July?

What if we continued to give gifts to people we love year-round (and not just at Christmas or on their birthday)? What if we took the time to write and mail cards to those in our spheres of influence as a way of staying in touch beyond December?

What about inviting friends and family into our homes for special meals throughout the year? How about playing joyful music and lighting candles in our homes as a way of creating an uplifting ambiance? What about taking intentional time to contemplate the message of the Creator becoming part of His creation? That activity certainly isn’t limited to the last month of the year.

And here’s an out-of-the-box idea. What about keeping up a miniature artificial tree throughout the year with tiny ornaments that call to mind your family history. In our family, we collect keychains from unique places we’ve visited that hang from our Christmas tree. The sight of those various keychains unlock memories that remind us of our shared life.

I often see merchants this time of year advertise “Christmas in July” sales in which they promote special savings as a means of drawing in customers. For me, reference to “Christmas in July” is prompt to think of my favorite holiday film as well as the opportunity to embrace what makes Christmas special every month of the year.

It’s also a reminder for me to send my friend Karolyn, now 86, a belated birthday card.

Guest columnist Greg Asimakoupoulos is a former chaplain at Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island.